


The Perfect Pebble

by ericsonclan



Series: Fantasy Hijinks AU [14]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Gen, Harpies, Marriage Proposal, Orcs, Pebbles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:55:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27496807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Sophie looks for the perfect pebble for Marlon to show how much he means to her.
Relationships: Marlon/Sophie (Walking Dead: Done Running), Minerva & Sophie (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: Fantasy Hijinks AU [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1797862
Kudos: 2





	The Perfect Pebble

**Author's Note:**

> (by Linnea)

Sophie watched the stream carefully, her eyes darting back and forth looking into the depths of the clear, flowing water. Her talons dug into the low tree branch that she was perched on as her head moved slightly back and forth with the rhythm of the water. She needed to find the perfect pebble. She didn’t care if it took her all day, she was going to find it. Her focus was completely on the stones below in the watery depths when she heard a friendly voice. 

“Hey Sophie, whatcha up to?” Brody looked up at the harpy with a warm smile. 

“Trying to find the perfect pebble,” Sophie mumbled, her head tilted to the side as she continued to study the stream carefully. 

“What for?” Brody walked closer to Sophie who didn’t turn to face her friend. If she looked away for even a second, she could lose the right pebble.

“Marlon.” Sophie stated simply, her feathers shaking at her words due to the excitement she felt in her heart. 

“Aww, that’s sweet. Well, I just wanted to check on you before heading out. Prisha, Aasim, Marlon and a few of the halflings are going on a quest. I’m going too and I just wanted to check if you were interested.”

Sophie tilted her head the other way, looking at Brody out of the corner of her eye. “Can’t. Maybe next time?” An apologetic smile overtook the harpy’s features.

“Sure, don’t worry about it.” Brody could tell that finding this pebble really was important to Sophie. Maybe it was some special gift that harpies gave. Whether it was or not, she could tell that Sophie wasn’t going to budge from her spot until she had found it. “Best of luck finding the perfect pebble,” Brody gave a friendly wave goodbye and went off to get ready for the quest. 

Sophie’s attention remained on the water’s surface. It was lucky that Marlon was going on this quest, that made the chances of this being a surprise higher than they normally would be. A giddy excitement entered her heart as her eyes continued to search. She couldn’t wait to find the pebble and give it to Marlon. To show how much he meant to her and how she wanted to continue to be with him forever. Sure, it was a big thing to declare wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone, but Marlon was special. He was kind, brave, smart, funny. He always looked out for the others and was always a bright, joyful light in Sophie’s life. They had only been together for a year but that was enough time for the harpy to know that she was all in. 

That she wanted to go on adventures with him for years to come, that she wanted to share those quiet, peaceful moments with him and the moments that made her laugh. Besides it wasn’t that bizarre for a harpy to gift a pebble that soon; she remembered the stories her mother would tell her about how she knew that she had found the one. And she had only been together with her dad for two years. So what was one year less? Sophie swayed back and forth with impatience; each pebble looked nice but none were quite right yet. There were some really beautiful, shimmering pale blue ones by the water’s corner but she didn’t feel the connection in her gut. Some rusty red ones were scattered at the bottom of the stream yet they seemed wrong too. _ It doesn’t matter. I can be patient,  _ Sophie told herself while her talon tapped against the bark of the tree. 

\----

“Hey, has anyone seen Sophie?” Violet asked the members of the band of adventurers that were sitting by a fire. Its slow, steady flames crackled through the wood and sent sparks up into the air.

“Not since this morning when I offered her a spot in the group for a quest,” Brody looked up from her task tending to the fire. “She was looking for something in the stream though.”

“Perhaps she’s still there,” Prisha placed down the wood she had finished gathering. 

“If she is, can you let her know that dinner isn’t going to take long before it’s ready?” Omar waddled forward carrying a cooking pot. Ruby rushed over and helped out the halfling who gave a grateful smile then turned back to grab some more things for dinner. 

With that Violet wandered away from the camp down to the woods and followed the sound of running water until she reached the stream. She scanned the area until her eyes spotted the harpy still perched up in the same spot she had always been. The sky was turning a warm, comforting hue of orange and the light danced on the water’s surface. Sophie seemed entranced by the stream, her head tilting this way and that. It seemed like anything outside of the stream was lost to the harpy.

“Soph,”

The soft voice of the halfling startled the harpy, causing her to jump and lose her grip on the tree branch. With a desperate attempt Sophie dug her talons into the bark once more only to end up swaying back and forth underneath the branch. 

“Hey, Vi. Whew, you scared me for a second.” Sophie’s bright smile reappeared on her face when she looked over at her best friend.

“Shit, sorry.” Violet scratched the back of her head, “I just came to check on you. Brody says you’ve been here since morning?”

“That’s right.” Sophie swung herself upright, happily back in her perch. “I’m on the quest to find the perfect pebble for Marlon.” Sophie’s eyes studied the stream again carefully, hoping she didn’t miss the right one.

“What-” Violet’s question was cut short when a happy chirping sound emitted from Sophie’s mouth. She flew up high in the air and gracefully dove into the water. It was only a few seconds before she reemerged from the water with something in her talon's grasp. She landed in front of Violet, her right foot lifted slightly so as to not dirty whatever was in it. She shook herself violently, ruffling her feathers and flicking off the water on them. It ended up spraying the halfling with droplets of water. Violet wiped back her hair with an annoyed expression on her face.

“Oh I’m really sorry, Vi,” Sophie flashed an apologetic grin. “But I finally did it! I found the perfect pebble for Marlon!” she crowed. Sophie opened up her talons revealing a small, chunky-looking pebble. It was a mud-colored one with dusty red and black stripes covering parts of it. 

Violet picked it up to examine it closer. “This is it?” Violet brushed her fingers against the pebble. It was smooth to the touch.

“Yep!” Sophie snatched it back and held it up to the sky to let the light hit against it. She let out an overjoyed twitter as she did a small dance. “It’s perfect!”

“But why are you looking for a pebble in the first place?” 

“It’s something a harpy gives to their mate when they want to spend the rest of their lives with them.” Sophie replied as if it was the most basic knowledge ever.

Violet’s eyes grew larger at Sophie’s words. “Wait, so it’s like some sort of proposal? Holy shit,” Violet mumbled while she struggled to let her mind catch up with the information.

“Proposal?” Sophie cocked her head to the side, her face scrunched as she tried to remember what that word meant. “Oh! That’s what other species do instead of pebbles, right? Yeah, I guess it is a proposal then.”

Violet couldn’t believe what she was hearing. 

“Oh! But don’t tell anyone. I want it to be a secret.” Sophie bounced excitedly on her talons while she held the pebble close to her heart. “Now just gotta find Minnie.”

With that the harpy was off in search of her twin, leaving the halfling by the stream still shocked by the news she had just heard.

Sophie had a skip in her step while she made her way through camp. The pebble remained hidden within her closed arms, tucked behind some feathers. She wanted to make sure this was kept a secret until she gave the pebble to Marlon. But she needed to ask Minnie if she was okay with it first. She knew that she was doing it in the wrong order asking her sister when she had already found the perfect pebble. But it was always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Sophie’s eyes wandered around the campsite until they spotted her sister who was busy talking with Renata. Sophie loved Renata; she had become one of her closest friends in the band of adventurers. But she couldn’t keep a secret to save her life. Sophie flew up into one of the trees to wait for a while until Renata left. After a few minutes she had skipped off and Sophie flew down, landing in front of Minnie with a stupid grin on her face. “Minnie!”

Her twin jumped back, her feathers fluttering about for a moment before she realized who it was. 

“Sophie! Why did you do that?” Minnie looked over at her twin with annoyance.

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll explain in a minute. Can we talk?” Sophie’s talons scratched at the ground impatiently. Minnie seemed to pick up on her sister’s unusual attitude and gave a short nod. The two walked into the forest for a while before finding a good spot on a tree to talk. Once they had found good perches, Sophie spoke up.

“So, I wanted to talk with you about something important.” Sophie wasn’t looking directly at Minnie. 

“What is it?”

“Well, I know how upset you were when you found out I was dating Marlon and I didn’t tell you, so I want to make sure you’re on board for this before I do it.” Sophie paused for a minute and looked up at Minnie. “I want to give the perfect pebble to Marlon.”

Minnie’s eyes widened at her sister’s declaration. It was no small jump that she was making in her relationship with Marlon. It was a lifelong commitment. Minnie remained quiet for a few minutes, a hand placed on her chin as a thoughtful look covered her face. Sophie waited anxiously for her sister’s answer. Finally, Minnie spoke. “Marlon is a good guy…”   


“The best! I really love him, Minnie! He makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and is always there to watch my back on quests. I can know that he’ll always be there for me if I ever need something.”

Minnie studied her twin’s face carefully and saw how genuine her words were. It still seemed like a huge step forward, but she knew that Sophie really cared for Marlon and Marlon for her. 

“Okay, you have my blessing.” Minnie’s smile grew when she heard the happy crow that Sophie made. Sophie jumped in the sky, her hand outstretched when all of the sudden something small and misformed fell from the harpy’s feathers. With a scared shriek, Sophie dove down and caught the item right before it hit the ground. Sophie’s shoulders relaxed as she let out a sigh of relief.

“Sophie,” Minnie landed right beside her twin. “What is that?” 

Sophie froze then gave an awkward chuckle. “Well, you see it’s a funny story, Minnie. I sort of, kind of already….” Sophie fidgeted, “Found the perfect pebble,” she whispered then opened up her hands to reveal the pebble. Minnie’s eyes widened in disbelief. 

“I can’t believe you, Soph!” Minnie nudged her sister’s side a mixture of seriousness and playfulness in her actions and voice.

“I’m really, really,  _ really _ sorry. I just got struck with the desire to gift him the pebble today and I knew I couldn’t not do it.” Sophie’s face fell. “It’s not that I don’t care about your blessing.”

“I know,” The kindness in Minnie’s voice made Sophie look up to see a warm smile on her sister’s face. “So, when are you giving him the pebble?”

“Tomorrow morning. Gonna go on a walk and gift it then.” 

Minnie nodded and walked forward past Sophie. “Best of luck. Here’s to hoping you don’t chicken out.”

Sophie’s mouth fell at her sister’s teasing words. “I’m not a chicken.” Sophie ran up to catch up with her twin. The two of them laughed and made their way back to the campsite to enjoy dinner.

\----

Sophie could feel her nervousness rising in her stomach. It felt like at any moment she could burst from how nervous she was. She glanced over at Marlon who walked happily by her side, his hand gently holding hers. She felt her heart skip a beat when she looked at him. Right then and there she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. 

“So,” Marlon looked over at Sophie with a warm smile, “Where are we going today?” God, she could feel her heart melt when he smiled. 

“Umm,” Sophie hadn’t thought about that. “The… stream. Yeah, let’s go to the stream.”   


“Alright then. Sounds like the perfect spot!” Marlon’s bottom tusks poked out; the simple joy of spending time with Sophie always seemed to make him happiest. It only took a few minutes to get there which were filled with the half-orc and harpy talking about the latest quest that Marlon had been on. Apparently bringing Prisha and Aasim on a quest didn’t always work out for the best but by the end of the tale it was clear that everything had worked out alright. Sophie laughed along to Marlon’s story, asking questions here and there before pausing when she realized they had reached the spot. Her left hand tightened around the pebble, out of nervousness and to double check that she hadn’t forgotten it. 

“Marlon,” 

“Hmm?”

“There’s actually a specific reason why I asked to go on a walk with you today,” Sophie’s talons dug around at the dirt below her feet. “You see, yesterday I spent most of my day at the stream because I was looking for something.” Sophie paused for a second. Summoning up all of her courage, she shot out her hands and revealed the pebble, cradling it between her two palms. “I want to give this to you!”

“Oh!” Marlon’s smile grew on his face as he picked up the pebble to examine it, twisting it around in his fingers to look at every detail. “I love it!”

A happy chirp escaped Sophie’s lips. “Well, you see, it’s more than just a pebble. For harpies they search for the perfect pebble to give to their mate when they want to spend the rest of their life with them.” Sophie took a deep breath. “So it means I want to spend the rest of my life with you!” Her voice cracked but she continued regardless. “I want to keep going on adventures, to share these special moments together and enjoy all the amazing things that life has to offer together!”

Marlon stood there, shocked by what Sophie had just said. Was she proposing to him? A huge grin covered his face, his skin turning a bright shade of red. “Sophie,” He held the pebble close to his heart. “I want the same.” 

Sophie’s eyes grew large, a harsh blush overtaking her face. “You do?” Her voice overflowed with joy. 

Marlon placed his hand on the side of Sophie’s face and leaned forward, capturing her lips in a gentle yet passionate kiss. 

Sophie leaned into the kiss and cupped the sides of Marlon’s face. When they pulled apart she had a happy grin on her face. Without warning Sophie shot up in the air, crowing loudly and swirling and dipping in the air, twittering and chirping with each move. Sophie looked down at Marlon before swooping down and wrapping her arms around him, tackling him with a hug. Marlon backstepped from the force of the hug, chuckling lightly then mirroring Sophie, his arms circling her back. The half-orc and harpy stood there, enveloped in each other’s embrace. Their foreheads touched as they looked deeply into each other’s eyes. 

Their hearts beat with the same love and devotion for each other that would last a lifetime. 


End file.
